The next Chapel is Tuesday, Feb. 24, 11:10 a.m. in First Free Methodist Church with special guest N.T. Wright, renowned Bible scholar and author. The theme for the quarter is "Launching together: Following Jesus is not a solo journey." All faculty and staff are invited to join a community lunch each week after Chapel in the SUB Fireside Room. Bring your lunch and share fellowship with others across campus.

A message to faculty from Bryan Jones, associate vice president for admissions: Each year we try to convey to incoming students the kind of learning community they will find here at SPU. An example of this has been a project that the Undergraduate Admissions team spearheads in asking faculty to write a personal note to each admitted student for the coming fall. Each year we get unsolicited feedback at our spring events, as well as from our admitted student research, that receiving a personal notecard from a SPU professor is a powerful message that they will be known and begin an actual relationship with a faculty member.

We are asking faculty to sign up for the number of cards you are able to write (even just a few), and those cards will be delivered on campus. Please COMPLETE THIS BRIEF FORM (takes about 30 seconds to complete).

A note to SPU staff. This project is primarily for faculty, but we welcome you to sign up if you are interested in participating. We may have undecided students or specific academic areas that could use additional support in writing these notecards.

Additional information

• Most faculty will write to students within their own academic disciplines, but please know that you may still be asked to write a “general” note of welcome to students from outside your program’s majors or to those whom are undecided.
• All notecards will be pre-labeled and pre-stamped, and we will include suggested text for your note. (Though it’s a wonderful touch if you can include one of your business cards if you have them.)
• We are hoping to have all notecards mailed by Friday, March 6, so that our students will hear from our faculty while they are deciding which college to attend.

Again, thank you for all that you are doing for our current students, and we thank you in advance to those who help us with personal touches of recruitment!

Faculty notecard testimonials

• “I had at least two students this fall tell me that the personal touch of the card was a significant factor in their decision to come to SPU.”
• “Just this week, a recent grad showed me the letter she received from a history professor when she applied.”
• “I have had multiple students write me or seek me out to mention the notecard I wrote them.”
• “A few students have sent me thank you cards and emails thanking me for the card. This has truly warmed my heart!"

SPU's Percussion Ensemble, under the direction of Dan Adams, will present their winter concert on Tuesday, March 3, at 7:30 p.m. in the E.E.Bach Theater in McKinley Hall. The concert will feature ensemble works by Patrick Speranza, J.S. Bach, Paul Bissell, and tradition Afro-Cuban drumming. Solo performances by students Skye Frazier, Olivia Callen, Dylan Berlier, and James Loffink will also be on the program. Admission is free.

A message from the Music Department: Join Dr. Ryan Ellis and Dr. Hsuan Lee for an evening of music performed by student ensembles on Thursday, March 5, 7:30 p.m. in First Free Methodist Church. Concert Choir continues the exploration of foundational gospel styles with works by Richard Smallwood, Edwin Hawkins, and Andraé Crouch featuring many fantastic student soloists. The Orchestra will delight with a mixed program from classical to contemporary works from animated movies. Come support our student musicians in this wonderful night of music!

A message from Educational Technology and Media: The next workshop, Implementing Student Accommodations in Canvas: Quizzes, Assignments, and Course Content, is Thursday, Feb. 26, 2–3 p.m. (On campus at ETM or online via Teams). This workshop supports instructors in using Canvas to implement approved student accommodations and to provide appropriate flexibility for quizzes, assignments, and course content. We’ll cover practical steps such as extending quiz time, allowing extra attempts, and adjusting course materials to support accessibility. 

The registration link is https://forms.office.com/r/LnkGkiFmF8. Registration is encouraged (to help us prepare), but not required — walk-ins welcome. Can’t make it? Register to receive the recordings.

If you have any questions or need help accessing the materials, please reach out to etmhelp@spu.edu.

SPAC Gallery is pleased to present, "A Very Hungry Caterpillar," an exhibition of paintings and works on paper by guest artist and SPU alumna Erin Milez. The exhibition is a gathering of work made since the beginning of Milez’s professional career five years ago and reflects the growth of her artistic voice and style. 

Working from autobiographical experiences, Milez’s work honors and humors the slow chaos of domestic life. In this body of work, which includes her 2023 piece, “A Very Hungry Caterpillar,” Milez displays her refinement of figurative distortions and spatial relationships. The show includes works on paper which are key stepping stones in Milez’s image development, not to mention play and experimentation that yield an ever curious and evolving studio practice.

The exhibition runs through Friday, March 6, 2026. The gallery is located at 3 West Cremona and is open 9 a,m.–4 p.m. Monday throught Thursday or by appointment.

The Faculty/Staff Bulletin is published every Monday during the academic year. The next deadline is Thursday, Feb. 26, and the next Bulletin will be published on Monday, March 2. 

If you have information or event news, send it as soon as possible with an image or graphic to Bulletin editor Tracy Norlen at fsb-editor@spu.edu. Submissions may be edited for clarity and will be published for two consecutive issues; they can be resubmitted for an additional two weeks.

Please join the Office of Human Resources in welcoming Rory O'Mahony, interlibrary loan and course reserve specialist in the University Library.

In 1995, Rev. Jesse Jackson spoke to an overflowing community chapel at Seattle Pacific. In his ending prayer, he left us this charge. "Bless this school. Those who dare do your Word. We really want to see thee more clearly, and love thee more dearly, and follow thee more nearly. And leave here celebrating your family of human beings.”

Listen to his full speech at Digital Commons@SPU.